Thursday, 1 August 2013

Gretel a fairytale retold by Niamh Murphy


Hans and his sister Gretel are alone in the woods. Lost and starving, they are set upon by a pack of bloodthirsty wolves. They are saved from their fate by a beautiful woman, Maeve. Maeve invites Hans and Gretel into her home to recover from their ordeal. Although she doesn’t want recompense, Hans is suspicious of her. Gretel however, is bowled over by her beauty and kind heartedness and becomes close to Maeve.

Gretel finds out all too soon that she will have to choose between her brother and Maeve who is a stranger. Will loyalty win over love?

This is a well written page turner with twists and turns along the way from an up and coming UK lesbian fiction author. It’s a beautiful lesfic variation on the timeless fairy tale, Hansel and Gretel, that has held the attention of millions of children and adults over the years.

All three characters are well formed and easy to get to know. Although this is a novella, Niamh Murphy has packed a lot into it, including the age old subject, homophobia and the outcome of that hatred. At the heart of this story though, is a beautiful and tender sweet romance.

I’m looking forward to reading more from Niamh Murphy. I like her easy flowing writing style.

 

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